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Aziz's Kotlets


I had a lovely grandmother.  She was sweet and elegant, had infinite amount of patience, and a kind voice for when her patience finally ran out.

She was a talented cook.

The whole of her life was about caring for her family.  Prepared three amazing and inviting meals each and every day.  And kept a house so meticulous and cozy that at the end of most days it was the gathering spot for most of our family and close friends.

The other day, my girl and I made one of her recipes, Kotlet, and we had a lot of fun with it.  The UrbanToddler loved all the mixing and rolling and especially the taste of the Kotlets.  Perhaps you like to try it with your toddler or just make it for someone you love.

Aziz's Kotlet

1 pound ground turkey or beef
1/2 pound potatoes
2 eggs
a pinch of saffron or turmeric
whole wheat bread crumbs
salt and pepper
olive or vegetable oil

Boil the potatoes, let them cool and then grate them.


Mix the grated potatoes with eggs, meat, saffron or turmeric, and salt and pepper. 



Take a spoonful of the mixture, roll it into a ball on a cutting board, and then flatten it with your hand and or a knife so its formed into a one centimeter thick triangle with rounded edges (see pictures for the right shape).  Your Kotlets should all be roughly the same shape and size.


Place the bread crumbs in a dish. Place the Kotlets in the bread crumb dish to cover all sides with bread crumbs. 

Once you have shaped and crumbed the entire mixture, heat a couple of spoon fulls of oil in a pan.  Place the Kotlets in the hot oil and brown both sides, and after lay them on some paper towels to remove any excess oil. 

Serve the Kotlets with a flat bread like Lavash or Pita, with a side of Greek yogurt (with a little pinch of salt added for extra flavour to the yogurt) or on the side of thinly diced salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with a lemon juice and olive oil dressing. 

**Most Persian recipes for Kotlet call for one grated onion to be added to the recipe.  Aziz did not add onion to hers, and neither did we, but if you wish to, go ahead and add it to yours.

Noosheh Jan, Bon Appetit, Enjoy!
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